The Broken Hitter Job
by DeppsLadyRosebud
Summary: Things go a little differently when Parker assumes Nate hadn't switched the water bottles out during 2.2 and accidently switches them back leaving Eliot defenselessly drugged at the mercy of Tank and his bone crushing dirty wrestling
1. Chapter 1

Things go a little differently when Parker assumes Nate hadn't switched the water bottles out during 2.2 The Tap Out Job and accidently switches them back leaving Eliot defenselessly drugged at the mercy of Tank and his bone crushing dirty wrestling style.

**The Broken Hitter Job**

_The haze of drugs blanketing his senses and dulling his normally animalistic instincts make it impossible for Eliot to so much as roll out of the way let alone fight back when he sees the abnormally large man's body coming toward him from above at a speed that seems far to slow to be real. _

_'Huston we have a massively over sized problem' He hears the voice inside himself warn as his sluggish blue eyes widen trying to focus through the clouds closing in on his world creeping forward from around the edges like a thunderstorm. He's no stranger to the forced euphoria, heavy limbs or approaching darkness, thanks to the life of danger and violence he throws himself into willingly everyday. _

_He knows hes been drugged and if his senses had been in tact, he knows that this just might be cause for concern, maybe even panic, finding barely enough strength to turn his head toward the corner of the ring where his ever failing vision is met with four sets of eyes watching him with questioning, yet unaware gazes. From where he lay he can tell that they think he is simply selling the part, that he is acting, pretending. _

_They are clueless, and he is about to be pummeled by some over weight dime store wrestler. Yup this would definately be cause for alarm, and hes more sure than ever that tomorrow, if he even makes it that long, he is going to be in an ass load of pain. _

_"Nate. Help." His lips are dry reguardless of the gallons of sweat he can feel pouring from his flesh, his tongue paralyzed with intoxication, lips having to concentrate to form the two simple words as his eyelids grow heavy. _

_He can see the expression on his "bosses" face change he looks... Horrified, making it obvious his message was received... _

_But it was two seconds to late._

_"...Drugged,... the water...Someone..." Sophie's voice is bordering hysterical as it fades in and out along with his conciousness. _

_'Nate, I think we're screwed.' His last rational thought passes quickly. _

_Then, he is floating like Alice down the rabbit hole in that Disney movie his mother would put on for him as a child when his father would be in one of his moods that meant he was to remain quiet or get his hide tanned for so much as breathing to loud._

_He finds that the murmurs of commotion are growing farther and farther into the distance as he slips away engulfed by the welcoming shadows clogging his mind, just before the crushing weight finally barrels down on him mercilessly._

_"ELIOT..." _

. . . . .

"Eliot?..." It's Sophie's voice that reaches his ears first, it is much clearer and calmer this time, her tone hushed and soft as the smell of sterile antiseptic and old people fill his nostrils. Accompanied by the slight chill biting at his flesh he is more than positive that he's in the hospital and has not been delivered to whatever is awaiting him in the afterlife.

He can feel her fingers on his forehead brushing hair away and tucking it behind his ear a touch that he would normally frown upon but involuntarily finds himself leaning into as his eyes flutter open only to shut again instantly in defense against the harsh florescent lights blaring down on him, his angular features scrunching in displeasure.

"Hardison hit the lights." Nate's voice is next as he feels someone slide down to sit beside him on the opposite side of the bed from where Sophie is standing. "They're agitating his concussion..." Nate's tone drops to a hushed whisper and is closer now as he feels a strong father like grip on his knee. "Eliot open your eyes."

Eliot feels his brows raise but his eyelids are just to damn heavy and defy the order_ 'I already did you ungrateful bastard, isn't once enough? you open my eyes I'm to tired.'_ He thinks about snapping back but finds that streaming so many words together would cost more than they're worth as he relaxes his features and settles for stringing a few letters together instead, words are over rated after all who needs them? Letters, Letters are much easier. "Mmm mm" He hears his own weak reply and makes note to reprimand himself for it later when he can muster up the strength to mentally kick his own ass for allowing such a moment of weakness.

"Parker..." Sophie is speaking again,_ 'Sophie so... Tender and quiet, if she weren't such a criminal she would make a hell of a mother some day' _"I need you to commander a chair before our friends standing watch out there realize he is awake and go forth with their own agenda... Parker... Parker are you listening to me? Parker."

Eliot didn't need to see the nimble blonde to know that she was currently contorted into a pretzel in the farthest corner of the room her long legs tucked against her chest as tightly as an old woman holds her purse in a grocery store. Her head resting on her knees starring off into a place where none of them could ever venture. The same place she always went when stressful situations arose and the already socially awkward young woman found herself unable to cope. Parkerville USA, As Eliot called it.

. . . . .

The next time consciousness tugs at him the smell of fresh sheets and bourbon instantly sooth his instinctively alert nerves and against his own free will he hears a moan fall from his lips .

The soft fabric against his backside is more than familiar, he'd crashed at Nate's place more times than he could count when they would work late on the job and he'd pass out on this very same sofa.

"Wakey wakey sleeping beauty." He can hear Hardison's voice from somewhere close and figures his friend must be sitting watch in the recliner by his head. "It's about time, you've been out for damn near three days... I was gonna throw water on your ass but Parker threatened to 'take me down' if I so much as touched you." Hardison always mumbles when he's nervous so Eliot tries to block out the nonsense words even though they begin driving nails into his skull.

"He awake?" There's Nate, which Eliot knows means that Sophie will soon follow, the two of them still playing the whole scorned lover routine, I love you I hate you game and denying feelings even a blind man could see are there.

"He's comin around."

"Wouldn't be... If you'd shut up." He's more than shocked at how tired and strained he sounds to his own ears as he shifts toward the voices filling his personal space.

"What? I'm sorry is three days not enough rest for you my queen?"

"Don't make me get off this couch Hardison, or You'll be the one whose gonna be layin' here with that laptop you love so much tightly crammed in places where no electronic should ever go." As he finishes his retort however Eliot's expression shifts to confusion when he feels an itch beginning to tickle the inside of his nostrils and finds his arms to heavy to move, immobilized, locked, preventing him from scratching and satisfying the annoyance.

In fact they ached, burned and throbbed in a familiar way that caused the professional hit-man's stomach to twist and turn before he even opened his eyes. _'Damn it... not both of them... Aw hell, this is going to be a bag of fun.' _He inwardly grumbles and winces as his eyes pry themselves open and the world comes disappointingly into focus, three of his four teammates hovering so close to him now that it has surpassed the line of uncomfortable and was now down right creepy.

"Try to stay calm man." Hardison's tone is almost pleading his eyes the same.

"Both of them?" The team's muscle muses out loud as sure enough both his left and right arms were plastered from shoulder to mid fingers, bent at the elbows jutting out in front of him in an eternal hugging position.

"'fraid so..."

"Damn."

"It could have been worse." Sophie and Nate lean forward to help him when the injured man attempts to rise to a sitting position, his jaw locking in aggravation when he realizes how difficult such a simple task is without the use of his arms.

"How the hell could this have been worse?" He doesn't mean for the words to come out so sharp and bitter but he has never been much good at controlling his temper, a problem that only escalates itself at times like these.

"You could be dead. That would be worse." Parker's voice is finally heard as with effort Eliot pivots himself to look at her, sure enough she is just as he'd pictured her there in the hospital when his foggy brain had registered the one sided conversation between the teams grifter and thief, folded and scrunched, placed neatly in one of the chairs at Nate's Kitchen table.

Her usuall permanent amused expression however seems different somehow as he studies her and it takes a minute before the hitter realizes there is worry embedded in her normally excited and slightly off gaze . she peeks at him from over the tops of her black legging clad knees.

She looks like a scared kitten awaiting punishment for an unwanted mess on the living room carpet her cheek trembling just enough that he knows the others would surely over look it, but he notices, he always notices, and the sight pulls at Eliot inside his chest causing an ache that pales in comparison to the physical pain he is currently experiencing. It is his job to hurt people, hell he'd killed small armies single handedly and never once thought twice about it, but hurting Parker never sat right with him, the young woman has seen so much pain in her life, so much rejection and uncertainty he would do anything to keep from adding to it, anything to make her feel wanted, safe… Needed

Which is why seeing her now like this, appearing almost fragile like a fine glass vase he would have stolen from some museum shelf, Eliot finds that words fail him, the look on her face, the fear, the worry, stabbing at him as he inwardly curses and wishes he could close his eyes and make this whole situation go away not just for him but for all of them.

He was not use to being the one coddled and he didn't like the dependency that came with such an injury one bit. Yet still he manages some how to press it all down to the souls of his feet when he sees the expression being cast his way from across the room. "Yeah. Maybe." He offers her a small half grin hoping it will remove the unwanted emotions from her features.

"You need something?" Nate asks interrupting his friends thoughts and pulling his attention back to the fact that there are others in the room.

"My arms?" As if on cue the long haired mans bangs fall into his eyes and he huffs audibly trying to shift his head back and forth to move them out of the way, Puffing his cheeks up and attempting to blow them aside a few times as well.

"We could always cut your hair and make things easier on you." Hardison pipes up a smirk playing on his lips.

"You know how long it took me to grow this out? You come near me with scissors and you'll find them jammed up your ass."

"Along side my laptop?"

"Well if they don't both fit I can always rip you a new one!"

"How are you gonna accomplish that without your arms super brute?"

"I still got my toes."

Hardison's eyes widen and he swallows hard, "You uh know how to... With your toes?"

"Ask the south ring of Pakistani arms dealers..."

"The who?"

"Exactly." The grin that appears in Eliot's bright blue orbs says just enough that no one questions him any further about his ability to murder or at least mangle a man with the use of his toes, as he finds exhaustion creeping over him and leans back heavily into the couch cushions shutting his eyes. He feels what he knows to be Nate's grip resituating his injured frame back to a laying position.


	2. Chapter 2

. . . . . .

Weight beside him causes his body to shift and Eliot opens one eye cautiously at first to find Sophie sitting there with an outstretched hand at his lips housing two giant horse pills.

"Open up." She coaxes with the same gentle maternal tone, "These are going to help with the pain. He did quite the number on you."

Swallowing his pride the normally over cocky man opens his mouth and allows the pills to be deposited on to his tongue with minimal griping "I feel like I've been hit by a damn semi truck." He quips holding them between his teeth and waiting for her to place a straw for water to his lips.

"Nope just a tank." Hardison calls out snickering at his own joke from where he sits at the table plucking and clicking away at his computer, his snide remark earning him a palm to the back of his head from Nate the motion almost causing the hacker to spill the orange soda he had just placed to his lips all over his keyboard.

"Yer Funny..." The injured hitter barks popping his neck. " So how did we get out of this one anyway, from where I was laying the situation looked less than hopful... How the hell did I get out of there alive? I mean what the f- What happened man?" Eliot's brows come together in the middle as he looks toward Nate obviously confused expecting the mastermind to fill in the massive amounts of missing pieces currently absent from his aching brain.

Nate Runs a hand through his hair before letting it rest on the back of his neck and exhaling, his eyes soften a little and he shakes his head. Subconsciously his gaze shifts toward the motionless pretzled figure still watching them from her spot at the kitchen table, In exactly the same position she'd been in the last time Eliot had woken up. "Mistakes... We're made." He admits regrettably before looking back to the man with the broken arms and clearing his throat.

"Oh..." Eliot follows the older mans eyes and frowns.

"I didn't know Nate had already switched the water bottles out ok?" Parker pulls her legs out from under herself glancing toward Eliot and the mess he had become, the mess she had caused him to become. "I did this." her admission is quiet and sounds as tired as Eliot feels as she rises to her feet ringing her hands together repeatedly like a child waiting to be scolded.

She goes to take a step forward and instead takes two back her paled face sorrowful and intimidated as she looks away from him suddenly finding the tiles beneath her feet needing her visual attention.

A loner even more than a thief if that were possible, Parker was not use to apologizing because well, she'd never done it before. Never felt the need to. Every instinct inside her was fighting to do what she did best and disappear, but first things first she needed to say it, she owed him at least that much, if not more. He was Eliot, he was her friend, one of the only few she had ever had, and she'd managed single handedly to mangle him up like a steak in a tiger cage, how could she have been so stupid?

"I uh, I'm really sorry Eliot." The words are foreign and leave an odd taste on her tongue, like bad tuna laced with rotted mayonnaise as she swallows down a grapefruit sized knot that seems to be constricting her airways and draws her bottom lip between her teeth chomping down on it hard.

She could feel the moisture building behind her eyes. This angers her more than anything and she knows she needs to get away, she can not let them see her cry, tears she believes are a sure sign of weakness.

Before the others even have time to register that she's apologized, a huge step in parker's social development she is gone from the room swift and quiet like a cat. Leaving behind four stunned expressions.

"D-did she just..."

"Yeah Nate, she did..." Eliot blinks a few times thankful his voice sounds stronger than his broken body feels as he attempts to maneuver himself off of the sofa ignoring his aching limbs.

The rest of this story would have to wait for now. Parker and her delicate imbalance needing his attention. He knew Parker better than she knew herself and this was one of those times being alone would be much easier on her if they were alone together.

He'd wondered why she'd been so quiet like a ghostly presence as he'd drifted in and out of consciousness these past few days, a figure that was always close by not allowing herself to be far away but remaining just out of his line of sight even though he remained in hers. Never saying more than a few words… She was watching him, monitoring him, afraid he was going to keel over or disappear or something.

Suddenly now it all made sense, and Eliot against his own pain and anger in regards to the situation found it inside himself to push it all aside as he made his way toward the back bedroom where he knew she would be hiding. She needs him. The new weight encasing his upper body takes some time to adjust to as he feels the burn of his ribs and knows at least three of those must have been busted as well by his new friend Tank, a friend he definitely intends to pay a visit to as soon as he feels up to it, only now really assessing his injuries as his body sags more with each step he takes, protesting against movement.

"Parker." He calls out leaning awkwardly against the wall across from the door that leads to the bedroom and snarling at the realization he can't so much as jiggle the damn door knob. "Parker open the door damn it. Don't make me kick it in..." He drops his voice down realizing how haggard and tired his limbs are after the short trek from the sofa. "Please please don't make me kick it in."Not so much as a foot shuffle is heard in reply and he growls low in his throat, "DAMN IT PARKER."

"Eliot." Sophie's tone is soft and almost… cautioned as she comes up beside him, he does after all break bones for a living a detail that none of them try to over look when he is angry like this.

"Not now Soph, just open the frickin' door." He retorts before she can begin on one of her long explanations that he really isn't in the mood for at the moment, he was short on patience and on breath his cheeks reddening due to temper and embarrassment.

"It's locked" The grifter mumbles giving the knob a little twist,

"We're thieves, pick the damn thing" He rolls his eyes and exhales trying as best he can to hold on to his patience his current state of helplessness grating on his nerves.

"Are you sure you don't want me to try to talk to her?"

"God no. I-I'll handle it, just get the door open."

Untwisting her hair from the bun it was in Sophie pulls out a bobby pin and has just begun to pick the lock when there is a soft click from the other side of the door, the Grifter and Hitter sharing a knowing look, as she offers him a confident grin, like a silent pep talk. "Be gentle with her.." She tucks the small pin away into her pocket before turning to head back down the hall.

"Like I haven't dealt with her before…" He mumbles his tone almost amused before exhaling dramatically "Uh Sophie?"

"Yeah?"

"Open it?" He looks to her expectantly from the knob where his eyes had been fixed.

"Oh right sorry..." She offers him a sympathetic chuckle before twisting the knob and pushing the door open enough for him to step inside.

He cant't see her. Hell he cant't see anything in the darkness of the guest room as he leans down and uses his nose to flip on the light switch illuminating the room. Not the least bit surprised when after his eyes adjust and scan his surroundings, she is still nowhere to be seen.

Stepping further in he looks up at the small loft above his head, "Parker." He manages not to sound to annoyed as he calls to her, "Come on down here." His tone requests more than demands like it generally does. Normally he would swing himself up there and sit on the rafters while she hung like a bat beside him sulking over her latest social fumble or whatever else might be bothering her. Little things seemed to bother her more than life altering events, it was just part of what made Parker… Parker, and she would always slink away to hide after such a realization earned her funny looks from the others.

Eliot would always follow and always find her, like he knew she wanted him to, because after all this was Parker and if she didn't want to be found, if she really wanted to get away she knew more than a dozen ways to do just that.

The two of them would sit. sometimes for only minutes, sometimes for hours. Until her 'icky emotion that blackened her happy place' would dissipate and she was yet again her oddly quirky self ready to go rob the world with a smile on her lips.

"I broke you." He finally hears her reply as he patiently stands stark still finding himself really wishing he could cross his arms over his chest as he waits. Feeling it would make him appear far less idiotic than he felt right now.

"You did not."

"I screwed it all up. You can break my arms if you want, you know when you can use yours again."

"I'm not breaking your arms Parker." The hitter exhales taking the few steps to sit on the foot of the guest bed and rolling his neck from side to side clearing his throat.

"Why not?" her blonde ponytail was the first thing he saw as she dropped her upper half down right beside him hanging by her feet from above his head her arms reasting behind her head elbows sticking out and almost colliding with his bruised cheek as she turned to look at him with suspicious orbs, "I would break my arms if I were you."

"C'mon Parker. I know you didn't do it on purpose."

"You don't even know what happened!"

"I know it was a mistake" His normally chiseled and hard expression seems softer, more gentle at times like these. It was a side of him few had ever seen and Parker thought he should show more. It made him look 'prettier' she had told him once, an adjective that had only served to agitate him regardless of the fact that in the thief's unhinged special way it was considered a compliment. "If my wallet were missing I would blame you... And I would know you'd done it with a song in your heart, but this..."

"Do they hurt?" She questioned eyeing the casts that were devouring her friends arms with distain. "They kind of look like frozen snakes eating you." In typical Parkeresque fashion, faster than the blink of an eye she had moved out into left field and Eliot knew he had no choice but to follow.

He couldn't help the smile that presses at the corner of his lips as he shakes his head at her off choice of analogies. "I've had worse."

"He squashed you like a bug against a windshield on the freeway going at least 120 while being chased by the cops. I've never seen arms twisted that way before and I've seen a lot of arm twisting, the pop was so loud that I thought some child had busted a balloon. You we're-"

Hardison was not the only babbler in the building as Eliot forced the bile from his throat and closed his eyes imagining his body being twisted and crumpled while his friends watched on. Parker had a tendency to say the unsaid, share that which should remain unshared, with those who it should not be shared. "Parker that's enough."

"You kinda looked dead, I thought you were and-"

"PARKER." He snaps without thinking grinding his teeth together and having to push away the irritation swimming inside himself. "I-I said that's enough..." His words tremble and he inhales before exhaling slowly.

"Sorry." The left side of her lips curl up into a smirk as she effortlessly drops down beside him. "It scared me. I don't like thinking that you're dead. It made my happy place sad."

"I'm not goin' anywhere, I've taken on the Butcher of Kiev and won, do you really think some Hulk Hogan knock off is going to get the best of me?"

"Whose Hulk Hogan?"

"What? Are you even from this planet?"

"She saved you, you know?" Nate seems to have peculiarly found his way into the door jam at exactly the right moment.

"She saved me?"

"I tazed him." Eliot is relieved to hear the pep back in her tone as the light of amusement yet again finds its way into the eyes of the teams thief. "Crawled up on to the ropes and rode him like a cow."

"A bull Parker." Sophie and Hardison have come to stand beside Nate as the hacker corrects her.

"What?"

"People ride Bulls not cows."

"Details." she shakes her head quickly causing her ponytail to bob back and forth nearly slapping Eliot on the cheek with each motion.

"You're kind of dangerous with that Taser thing you know?" The corners of Eliot's eyes crinkle as he smiles in pure amusement.

"You're the one who got it for me for Christmas." She cocks her brow and climbs behind him when she notices his hair yet again had fallen into his eyes obstructing his view. "Lemme fix that." She doesn't even wait for him to accept before she slips the ponytail from her own hair and uses it to bind her friends.

"Thanks."

She wrinkles her nose peering over his shoulder and looking at him, "You smell funny. You should shower."

The amount of embarrassment as the true realization that his independence had been stricken from him in even the most private of ways caused Eliot's cheeks to surpass red and go straight to purple as the others in the room all heard him grunt.

"Don't worry... I'll help, consider me your own personal slave until you are well again. Showers teeth brushing even you know peeing, not that I can do any of it for you but I can you know help if you-"

"PARKER!" The three figures in the door jam spoke in unison looking at her with wide eyes.

"What?" her innocence was picture perfect like a child as she appeared genuinely confused.

Eliot's smirk was unmistakable.

Maybe sometimes injury did have its perks.

-Fin


End file.
